Isaiah 55:6-11
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:6-11 (NRSVUE)
When my kids were in elementary school, they had some favorite TV shows. I mostly let them watch, especially when I had things to do, like make dinner or throw a load of laundry in the washer. It was easy. I started to notice, though, that they were processing their world through the lens of the shows they watched. They would relate something that happened in real life to something that happened on their TV show. It’s what we do! I reference my favorite television shows often. Story is a powerful thing.
Still, the storylines from these shows were not the stories I wanted to shape my children’s worldview. We added limits to screen time and renewed our Sunday night ritual of using our children’s Bible for bedtime stories.
One of the faith tools that God gives us is scripture. God’s Word. The story of God. In Isaiah, we hear a promise about this word – that it shall not return empty, that it will accomplish its purpose.
But what is its purpose?
Martin Luther described the Bible as the “cradle that holds Christ.” His point was that we go to God’s Word not because the words are in themselves holy but because the Bible shows us Jesus. Jesus (Word made Flesh!) in turn, tells us that if we want to know the Father, we can look to the Son, in whom we find mercy, forgiveness, and eternal life. What God is also seems to be God’s purpose: your mercy, your forgiveness, your eternal life. Yours and the world’s.
The promise is that we are formed, shaped, nurtured, rooted in this Word. Like rain that nourishes the earth, so does God’s Word nourish our lives.
Questions for Reflection:
- What stories have shaped your life?
- Do you have a favorite Bible story?
- Reflect on knowing Jesus. How have mercy and grace made a difference to your worldview?
Prayer:
Good and gracious God,
Guide me to your Word, that in it, I would be nourished. In Jesus’ name, Amen
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